A Furuba Cinderella
by Winter's Light
Summary: Written for Lise Icali's Furuba Challenge AU Life as a normal girl couldn't get anymore complicated. First, both her parents are gone so she was left to her stepmother. Now, she's found out a huge secret, what will happen? discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Sorry this story took so long. I think it was pichuchu29 held that Furuba Story Challenge and I'm writing this story for the challenge. I couldn't think of any ideas so it took me a while. I'm sorry. Anyways, I'd love it if you would please review! Thank you!

Full summary: Written for pichuchu29's Furuba Challenge Footsteps raced across the halls of the castles. Searching...and running... Mysterious men, wicked kings, evil step-sisters... And an ever-optimistic servant girl...in which she falls in love...a forbidden love! Please read and review!

A Cinderella Twist

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Cinderella…if I did, I wouldn't be here…XD

Chapter 1:

Footsteps raced across the halls of the castle, running, and running away. He brushed his sliver-gray hair out of the way and gray eyes searched for a place to hide. He kept running and ended up on the floor.

"Ow…" He muttered and rubbed his head, one eye closed from the pain of the impact.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'll never do that again! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" a female's voice shouted and he looked up to see the person he bumped into for the first time.

She was cute, adorably cute…well, in his opinion. She had long brown hair down to her shoulders, eyes were a cute and unusual blue-green color, and her brown hair was pulled up in two blue ribbons. And despite her servant clothes, she was still cute.

"It's okay, I'm alright. Don't worry…" he said getting up. He couldn't stop looking at her! What was going on?

"Oh! Are you sure? Do you want me to call the village doctor?" the young woman asked concerned. She looked at him and was mesmerized by the beautiful face…and on a boy, too!

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare!" she started to shout again, apologizing a million times and started bowing furiously.

"What I said, it's alright. It's fine," he said and turned to look behind him. The young woman looked at him curiously as if asking, 'What are you doing?'

"Oh! I have to go. I need your name," he said quickly, hiding his blush. He didn't know why this girl made him feel this way.

"Tohru Honda is my name…and yours?" the girl asked curiously. His back was turned and he started to walk away, but not before a quick 'Yuki' and he started to run.

The girl—Tohru—only stared at the place where he had been and shook her head. She started off to do her chores…forgetting everything that happened that day…except that mysterious man…Yuki.

TBC…

Author's Note: If you want me to update soon, I need reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: You know…I was reading a fanfiction on and I really loved this one…where Yuki and Kyo become friends. It's called Revelations…I think…anyways I recommend it and since I can't put it on my favorites, I'll just say it here. 

A Cinderella Twist

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Cinderella…I'm only borrowing them.

Chapter 2:

He kept running. He didn't look back…only to check and see if anyone was behind him. He brushed his sliver-gray hair out of his eyes again and thinking…about that Tohru Honda. He couldn't get his mind off her, damnit! He took a corner and…

"There you are!" a male's voice shouted from the corner. He had bi-colored hair—black roots and white on the top. He wore the traditional black uniform. He had gray eyes and a worried expression. The sliver-gray haired male sighed quickly and spun around. He quickly ran down the hall until another male stopped him abruptly. This male had long sliver-white hair, golden eyes and the same figure who was running.

The male who was running quickly spun around again and found himself cornered. "What do you want?" he yelled out of frustration.

"Hello? We want you to come back! If you didn't notice, the king called for you two hours ago!" the bi-colored male yelled.

"Yuki. Come with us," the male with the sliver-white hair said almost silently. Yuki would have gasped at the male's behavior if it weren't for the fact that he was in a hurry. The sliver-white haired male was one of the most annoying people on earth and yet…he was standing there…not annoying him as usual.

"No! I—" Yuki started but was cut off by the bi-colored male.

"Fine. If you insist…" he said quietly, eyes now bored.

"What? Really, Haru?" Yuki asked, surprised and the bi-colored nodded.

"We'll help you, right, Ayame-nii?" Haru said and the sliver-white haired male nodded, too.

"Come now, little brother. Let's go to your room," he said and guided his little brother and his cousin into Yuki's room.

Once they entered, Ayame was starting on how he worked in the profession of tailoring and that his little brother should always follow his older brother's footsteps, but the younger sibling didn't seem to hear him. He began to pack almost everything into his bag and didn't seem to want to listen to Ayame's ramblings on how he should decorate his room more often.

Yuki didn't listen. He hurriedly bade Haru a quick 'good-bye', put his hood of his cloak on his head and left out the window. By the time Ayame was done talking, Haru was in one of his cousin's rooms (he got lost) and Yuki was already in the village.

(--?--)

The girl hummed quietly to herself and didn't seem to mind that other servants were whispering about her. She hummed and hummed as she hung up the laundry that she was doing. She was startled when she heard a loud 'poof!' noise.

She jumped. "What's going on?" she wondered to herself, thinking about that 'Yuki' she had met a few days ago. It seemed like it was forever since she saw him. She felt herself blushed and immediately hurried to more sheets up to dry.

She was at home. Home…well…at least she called it that. She lived with her two best friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima.

Her mother was killed in a fire and she was forced to find a new home. The girl was only 15 when it happened. That was two years ago… When she became an orphan, she was set on finding a new home. That was all that mattered, but that was how she became to be best friends with Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima.

Arisa Uotani had been a rebel—rebelling against King Akito's decision and laws. She was finally let out of prison for the time being and now lived with her two best friends. Arisa or 'Uo' as her friends like to call her, was a real Yankee and one of her best friends' mother used to be a Yankee, too! Uo had looked up to Kyoko. Kyoko was the leader of a gang called the Red Butterfly. The Red Butterfly would steal riches and give them to the poor.

Saki Hanajima was a psychic. Her family had been killed in a war. The only one left was her younger brother, Megumi, who was never found. Saki or 'Hana'—her nickname—was pretty much feared by some fellow villagers. They were afraid of her 'wave' power. She also looked up to Kyoko for going against King Akito and doing what was right.

Oh how she wished life were that easy! In truth, she lived with her stepmother, Motoko Honda or her maiden name, Minagawa and her two stepsisters, Minami and Mia. Her mother had died from a mysterious fire soon after Tohru had been born, and then her father had died during a rampage or something. People told her it was a riot and he was stomped on. But before her father had died, he had remarried.

Her friends, well…she didn't know exactly where they were, but the last she heard of Uo, was a couple days ago. Right after she had bumped into Yuki, Uo was on the run from the king and was hiding at Tohru's place for a bit and left to who-knows-where. As for Hana, she was the traveling psychic. She earned money by reading fortunes and once a week, she would stop at the Honda's place for a while to have a snack and refresh on stuff. Hana always seemed to enjoy her meals. Tohru giggled at that thought. The last time Tohru heard about her, it was 5 days ago.

After she was finished—the 'poof!' noise completely out of her mind—she made sure that the sheets were in place and went inside. Once inside, she began to cook. She had to make sure to do the cooking, the cleaning, and all the other housework before her stepmother and stepsisters came home!

(--?--)

She wandered away from her sister and her mother. She followed the tree line and found a young man in a brown cloak sitting on the grass, apparently lost in deep thought.

(--?--)

_Damn Akito, damn Akito, damn Akito_, was his thought as he made his way towards the village. He didn't even know why he had chosen to escape now of all times. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a while. He decided to take a break and…well…at least **try** to cook. He hated cooking, that was left for females and servants, he thought. He also sucked at cooking, which was also one of the reasons why he hated it.

He was really glad when Haru and even his brother had decided to help him escape. At least now he could have some freedom…

He suddenly jolted up in warning. What if they got in trouble instead of him? Then it would be his fault! That wasn't even fair! It was his fault that Akito had taken an interest in him! He didn't even like it and now, he was next in line for the throne! He might just give it to the stupid cat…if he could find him…

He got up, putting his hood back on. It had slipped when he was thinking and just jolted up. What he didn't notice was that there was a girl behind him. The girl thought he looked cute and just wanted to cuddle him! (I feel so bad for Yuki!) So the girl suddenly put her arms around his waist and before he could do anything, he transformed.

TBC

Author's Note: Bad, very bad! I'm losing interest in Wrong Place, Wrong Time but I **must** finish it! I will! I promise myself! Anyways, cliffhanger here…I'll update as soon as I get more reviews. Let's say…if you reviewed, I'll give you a cookie? (:) I have a whole tray of it! LOL

Oh yeah, and incase you didn't noticed; I changed the title. Is it any better?

Plus, re-read this chapter and realized that I put a very HUGE mistake in it and I have revised it and here's the replacement! Hope you enjoyed it! Cookies, anyone?


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Oh yeah, when I was re-reading my second chapter of this story, I realized that I accidentally typed 'leaved' instead of 'lived'. Well, I meant to put in 'lived' so she lived with her stepmother and stepsisters. I hope I didn't confuse anyone…

Yay! Another chapter!

Also, I've decided to change the title back to the old one, since my sister liked it more, and I'm going to use this title for Love and War 'cause that title is kind of lame and Running from Love fits it more. So I'm sorry for all the changes.

Okay, **AutumnNeko**, here's your cookie! (Throws cookie to her) It's chocolate chip! Is that okay? Anybody else want a cookie? I have all kinds! If you review, I'll give you a cookie! (:)

Also, this is a twisted version of Cinderella, so…it's a bit different, scratch that, it's _very_ different. Here's the next chapter! So for the late update!

A Cinderella Twist 

Disclaimer: If I owned either of these things, I wouldn't have made Cinderella so nice. I'll make her kick her stepmother and stepsister's asses! (I'm feeling evil today…tee hee)

Chapter 3:

_Damn it! _He cursed in his head, as he hid behind a tree, waiting for the confused girl to leave. She had short-shoulder length brown hair and she was wearing a plain, but cute green dress. (Not Kagura!) As soon as the girl left, he moved towards his clothes and making sure that no one saw him; he grabbed his clothes the best he could and ran as fast as he could. He made sure that he hid them very well from view and left to explore a little while.

He was walking in his mouse form when he noticed a small cottage. It was small, but there was a huge mansion right next to it. _Guess that cottage is for the servant…_he thought absentmindedly and he entered the small cottage.

As soon as he stepped in, he felt a calm, and innocent aura in this small cottage. It was nice, and…protective. He wandered around, noting pictures of a red-haired woman and many flower vases filled with elegant and sweet smelling flowers. He found a small—yet comfortable chair and climbed on top of it. He sat down and looked around from the high view.

Suddenly, he heard the door open and cheerful—but familiar—female voice called out, "Mom! I'm home!" A female with long brown hair tied up in blue ribbons, wearing a ragged dress and an apron appeared.

The mouse looked up and saw the girl and gasped. She was the one whom he had run into that day! What was her name? Hana? No. Honda? Yeah, that's it. Honda Tohru? Right?

The girl noticed the mouse sitting on the chair and squealed with delight. "Oh, hello mouse-san! How are you today? Why aren't you cute?" she started to say. The mouse was astonished that she thought he was cute! She even called her 'mouse-san'! She reached out an arm and cupped him in her hands. Before the mouse could do anything, she hugged him, delaying the transformation without knowing.

"Wow! You have such beautiful eyes! And such sleek fur! It's so clean…and…" she trailed off, lost in deep thought. Thinking…about…Yuki? The mouse gave a little squeak and Tohru smiled. He was so cute! "Mouse-san? Oh wait; I shouldn't keep calling you that. How about…Yuki-san?" she asked smiling.

If mice could blush, Yuki would have been fully red by now. The mouse gave a little squeak of approval and she set him back down on the chair. "You can go ahead and take a little nap…I know it's not the best but, it's all I have," she said kindly, giving the mouse a little pat on the head and she left the room to do more chores.

Yuki—on the other hand—was astonished. He didn't think that anyone—none less a female—was going to ever treat him like that. Whoever heard of a human calling a mouse 'mouse-san'? And even naming it! Hell, she even guessed the right name! He shook his head and leaped onto the floor. He was going to transform back any minute now and he did not want Tohru Honda to find a naked man in her living room.

He crawled back outside and found his clothes. He sat on it and after a minute or two; he was human again. He quickly slid his clothes on and put his cloak on. He grabbed his bags and started to find a place to set up a tent.

(--?--)

She walked back into the living room to find no one there. Not even mouse-san. Well, there was her cat-san in her room, but she made sure that cat-san didn't eat mouse-san. And anyways, cat-san was upstairs in her room, while mouse-san was in the living room. Maybe mouse-san went for a little fresh air? She hoped that mouse-san would come and visit again. She'd like some company; Hana isn't due until a couple days, and Uo's time is very limited…being on the run all the time. It was amazing that she was in prison yet! For helping Uo…

She hoped that mouse-san was safe…where ever he was…she prayed…

She fell asleep and unknowingly to her, a person helped her up to her room and put her in her bed.

(--?--)

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Where is he?" a male demanded. He was wearing a crown. That was the first thing that would catch your eye. The huge crown, sparkling jewels on it and it symbolized his leadership of the kingdom. He was wearing a kimono. A red one, with flowers... He was also holding a staff and he had chin-length black hair and bangs. He had cold teal eyes. He was sitting on his throne, above two male.

One of the male had bi-colored hair. White and Black. He was about 15-years-old and handsome. He had cool gray eyes and was wearing all black. A black cloak to be exact... He also wore weird necklaces that symbolized his style and he wore an expressionless face.

The other male had long sliver-white hair that reached his all the way down to near his ankles. He had gold eyes like a snake and he could easily be mistaken as a 'she'. He was wearing a red-pink cloak and he was also wearing an unusual expression. He was expressionless…he was almost never that serious.

This could be very bad…very bad indeed.

TBC

Author's Note: Another chapter done. I hope it isn't too short. It's three pages long. Do you want me to make chapters longer? Okay, I've something to ask you. I want to know a few things.

Do you want me to update this story once a week with short chapters or long chapters every few weeks?

Do you want the chapters to have long paragraphs and short chapters or long chapters with short paragraphs?

Please respond! Please review! Cookies for anyone who reviews; I have all kinds! (:)


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Okay, if you ever have extra time and you're really bored, go to and look at Ina-chan's stories. Her stories are all good; actually, they're great!

I'm so sorry. To those of you, who took the time to read my profile, thank you and yes. I know it sucks and I finally got my computer back. To those of you who didn't take time out of your busy lives to read my profile, my computer broke down. It had all of my stories on there. Sorry.

So, I'll update every other week and I'll try to make sure that the chapters are about 5-7 sentences long, is that okay with everyone else?

Also, Yuki will be OOC in this story and Running from Love. He will be a lot colder to almost everybody except Tohru. Alright?

I was reading Things Not Seen and when I finished reading it, I was all like, OH MY GOD! It's AWESOME! It's seriously awesome! It's so sweet! You should really read it!

Anyways, here's the next chapter!

A Cinderella Twist 

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Cinderella otherwise, I would have changed Cinderella's name.

Chapter 4:

She woke. She woke up and realized that she was in her bed, not downstairs where she had fallen asleep. She also realized another thing. She realized that her sheets were pulled over her sleeping form. Oh yeah, and she realized that she had more chores to do. She got up, stretched and started to work quickly, still in deep thought.

It couldn't have been her cat-san who pulled her sheets over her. If cat-san did, then she would have been woken up. She wasn't a deep sleeper, a pretty light sleeper, mind you. But if she was a light sleeper, then how come she didn't wake when whoever put her in her bed, did that? She pondered over that some more and she shrugged.

"Tohru! Come here!" her stepsister's voice called from the mansion. Tohru hurriedly raced out the door and to the mansion…still…thinking about _him_. She didn't notice when she bumped into the man in front of her.

(--?--)

He did it. He had finally finished setting up his tent. God knows that he's horrible at this kind of stuff. He sighed and sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes—again. His hair seemed to get in his way too often. Maybe he should get it cut? It didn't really matter now; he brushed it off and began trying to make a fire.

By the time he finally got a fire ready, it was nearly lunch; let's see…he escaped yesterday, around maybe noon? So, when he got his tent up…it was probably morning. So…that meant that he should get something to eat! Yeah, that's it!

He gathered some of his mouse friends and found some berries. After a short lunch—if you can call it that—he got up and started to explore his surroundings. He came across that cottage again, and this time, in his human form, he went up to the cottage and knocked on the door—only to be bumped into by a girl, no less, and transformed.

'Poof!' was the sound that Tohru Honda—age 16—heard.

(--?--)

He was free. Finally! After all these years! He savored the moment before taking off to a random direction near the castle. He ran and ran and ran until he was greeted by some voices.

"Did you hear?" a gossiping servant hissed, leaning closer towards the other servant. It appeared that they were gossiping facts to each other. This servant was an old woman and appeared to be in one of the lower divisions.

"What? Can't you see that I'm trying to work?" the other servant snapped. This one was much younger—at least 16 or 17—she had blonde hair. She also appeared to be in one of the lower divisions. He didn't care to look at their faces.

"The young heir of the throne has disappeared!" the older one said. The other gasped in surprise, guilt written all over her face. Well—at least that was what he thought.

"Prince Yuki?" the younger one asked, a bit too loud. A couple of servants, who were walking towards them, heard this and turned to stare at them, as if saying 'what the hell were you talking about?' and turned away.

_Yuki? That damn rat?_ He thought, _disappeared?_ Maybe he ran away, or he was kidnapped? He didn't care. He shrugged the situation off and kept running, but was later found by some more gossips.

"What? Really? So his brother and Prince Hatsuharu were really killed?" a young boy asked, nearly screamed. He looked at the boy's direction and saw that he was talking to another servant. This servant was on one of the higher levels—a female.

"No. I told you, they weren't exactly killed. Just gone. Poof! Like that. As if some magic engulfed them and left nothing but rumors. Why do you ask?" the female asked casually as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Kyo didn't listen anymore. He ran out of the courtyard and headed towards the mountains. He knew whom he would talk to. He knew whom he needed right now…and right now…he needed his…father.

(--?--)

_Eh? _More smoke. _Eh?_ No one. _Eh?_ Tohru looked around frantically to see whom she had bumped into. _No one? But I swore I saw someone here! It was a man!_ She thought and looked around some more. She didn't see that right in front of her were a pile of clothes and a small, sliver-gray mouse.

The mouse crawled out of his clothes and looked up to see the girl again. The mouse didn't know what to do. The girl squealed with delight, picked him up with both hands and placed him in one of her pockets of her apron. "I'm sorry, Yuki-san, but…I have to take you to step-mother's. Is…is that okay?" she asked, looking at the little mouse.

The mouse squeaked and crawled up to her shoulder, making her giggle. She looked at her left shoulder and saw the little mouse sneeze. She giggled at the noise. It was so cute! Tohru gently cupped the mouse in her hand and gave him a little kiss on the nose. The mouse's whiskers wiggled and she giggled some more. She gave an 'oh!' and she put the mouse back in her apron pocket—not before giving it a quick hug and grabbing the clothes (she didn't know what to do with them)—and she ran towards the mansion.

(--?--)

_Where is she? Where the hell is she? Damn it! Appear already! She's late!_ The woman thought furiously as she paced across the hallway. She glanced at the grandfather clock again before starting to pace.

"I'M SORRY, I'M LATE! I'M SO SORRY!" a young girl ran in, almost flying in from the door. Her face was flushed, one of her hands in her pockets, and she was bowing and apologizing.

"ENOUGH!" the elder woman shouted, obviously angry. She pounded a fist down on a table and the other girl quieted and stopped bowing. "Okay…now…there has been an announcement. The king has declared that the young heir to the throne, Prince Yuki, has been missing. Whoever finds him, will be rewarded greatly,"

The other girl listened patiently. "And, if they are females—ages 15-20—they will be eligible to marry one of the Sohmas they choose. Now, as one of my daughters, I want you to know this, but…what kind of a prince would want to marry a plain orphan girl like you?" The elder started to laugh. (So mean!)

The other girl's head was now bowed; eyes suddenly interested in the floor and tears stained her cheeks. She sniffled and nodded timidly. "That's a good girl," the elder said, "now…I want you to wash the dishes, clean our dresses, wash the floors, and the windows…understand?"

The younger girl nodded again, still sniffling. "Good, get started," the elder said and walked outside, carrying a purse, and an umbrella. "I'm be on my way, now…"

The younger girl's head shot up. "W-where are you going?"

"I'm going out. It's none of your business to poke your nose into other people's lives—now didn't you hear me? Get started!" the elder said and she was out the door. The younger girl cried and cried. She did not get started on her work, instead stood there and cried. It was then that her two stepsisters came down from their rooms that got her started on her chores.

"Did you not hear mother?" the elder of the two stepsisters shrieked into Tohru's ears. Tohru covered her ears and shook her head. "I-I heard…" she mumbled. "Let's go, Minami, we're going to be late again," the younger one said and the elder gave a "Yes, let's go, Mia. Let's leave that stupid girl alone,"

They left the mansion and Tohru collapsed into tears. She bent down and sobbed. She couldn't help it! The tears just kept falling. The mouse crawled out of Tohru's apron pocket and gave a little squeak of sympathy. Tohru only tried to smile the best she could. The mouse crawled up to her shoulder, cheeks red, and squeaked. His whiskers wiggled when he squeaked and when Tohru saw this; she giggled and snapped out of it.

Then, it happened.

'Poof!' was the sound she heard next and she was covered in a gray cloud. She felt more weight on her shoulder, then less and less until it gradually lifted itself. As if it floated. "U-um…I can explain…" started a male's voice. Tohru lifted her head from her position. She was sitting with her knees up and her arms around her knees, head bent. She looked up, only to give an 'EEKKKK!' and turned around. She felt her heart pounding a mile a minute.

"…First…uh…I need some clothes…" the male kept talking. Tohru felt like she could trust this man, even though he was a stranger—naked, no less! Yet, she felt like she could trust him. Tohru hurriedly went through her bag she always kept with her and found the clothes that she had found on the ground earlier. She handed it to him, focusing her eyes on the floor—which it seems she finds so fascinating today—and breathed slowly.

What was going on? Why was he naked? Who is he? Where did all that smoke come from? Millions of questions ran through her mind and soon, she felt dizzy and collapsed. She fainted.

(--?--)

He was really thankful that the whole mansion was empty. He transformed back to find the girl fainted. He quickly slipped on his clothes and went to check on the girl. He noticed that she was the same girl who he ran into and the same girl who he had helped up to her bed at the cottage.

"U-ugh…" the girl murmured as she tried to get up with her eyes closed. She rubbed her eyes, and Yuki couldn't help but notice that she looked very cute when she did that. She yawned, opened her eyes, and jolted up.

Yuki expected her to scream, or cry or something. The first thing she did was ask questions. "H-how? How did you do that? Why did you turn into a mouse?" She asked, shaking her hands wildly.

The gray-haired boy held up a hand, stopping her from further questions. "I-I can explain. You see…my family has been under a curse for many generations. However, there are only thirteen of us who are cursed. Whenever we are hugged by someone of the opposite gender, or we are under stress or just get really weak, we transform. We transform into the twelve animals of the zodiac…and the cat."

The girl mouthed an 'o' and stopped talking. She stopped shaking her hands any further. She just sat there and stared off…thinking…in deep thoughts. The cursed mouse kept talking, "Whenever someone finds out about the curse, one of my cousins will erase their memories. Now…when I saw 'erase', it's...it's more of a hypnosis…C-can I trust you to keep the secret?"

The girl looked up, eyes fearful and nodded. "I-I will! I will keep the secret to my grave! I promise I won't let anyone else find out about it!" The boy was taken back. He expected her to maybe say 'no', send a messenger to everyone she knows and his family in danger, or maybe have to call Hatori…

"W-wait…y-your that boy I ran into the at the palace!" she said with realization. The boy looked up in horror, hoping that she wouldn't recognize him as the prince, heir to the throne. "Are you a peasant?" she asked and Yuki sweat dropped.

"N-not exactly…I'll tell you later…" he said, and looked out the window, "I overheard your conversation with your elders. Would you like any help on cleaning? I admit I'm not good, but I'd gladly help you," he offered. The girl refused.

"N-no! No, I couldn't possibly let you help me! I wouldn't want to be a burden! It's okay! I can do it myself…I think…" her exclamation became a whisper. For the first time since…well…a very long time, Yuki smiled and laughed. The girl looked up, amazed to hear his laugh.

It was a beautiful sound to her ears. She gazed at him with awe, watching him laugh. Yuki didn't notice until he realized that he had laughed! He hadn't laughed in a while…he inwardly smiled sorrowfully.

"Don't worry. I'll help you. Your mother and sisters might be home soon, anyways. Let's get started!" he said and she smiled.

(--?--)

He raced on. He raced on and on and on. Bumping into some random people on the way, he finally reached his destination—the dojo. With a burning sensation, he felt as though he was ready to defeat that damn rat once and for all!

He slid the door opened and cried, "SHISHOU!" The man in the other room turned his head, alarmed by the sound of _his_ son's voice. He had a long ponytail, tied, and was wearing a steel gray kimono.

"Kyo?" he asked, dumbfounded. Kyo was the last person he'd expect to see, especially when he was supposedly imprisoned. Actually, scratch that, Akito was the last person he'd expect to see. Then it would be Kyo…and then Yuki…

"Shishou, you have to help me! C-could you just hide me…for a bit?" the red head asked, almost pleadingly. His red crimson eyes were just begging for some attention—other than Akito's.

"Of course, I will make sure that you are not found by Akito or his henchmen, alright?" the elder replied and the red head seemed satisfied because he started to ask another question.

"…Shishou…I've heard about the rumors…are they true? Is that damn rat kidnapped? Or did he run away. Personally, I'd take my bet on the latter," he mumbled the last part to himself, but as the dojo master, he heard and laughed.

"I—for one—am not really sure. But I do think that he might have run away. I also know that Yuki's brother and Hatsuharu were involved somehow, but that's all I know," the dojo master gave a shrug before sipping his tea, "now, come here," the elder patted a hand on the seat next to him. "I'm sure that you'd want something warm?"

The teen sat down and nodded. He gratefully accepted a warm cup of tea that his foster father had handed him. The elder smiled at his son's attitude and continued to drink his tea.

(--?--)

"Here are the buckets and the rags," she said as she dropped two buckets of soapy water and four cleaning rags to the ground. The water inside the two bucket came splashing out when it hit the ground. "I'm hope it isn't too much trouble…" she said with an afterthought.

"Of course not," the gray-haired young man said with a grin. Both teens kneeled down and started to scrub. "To tell you the truth, I've never really done anything like this…" he said with an embarrassed smile.

"Eh? Really?" the young woman asked, surprised. "Yeah…well…my family is…complicated…I guess…" the young man started, but stopped shortly, "never mind" he said and got back to scrubbing.

The girl stared at him with wonder and curiosity. She nodded and went back to scrubbing. "You know…" she began, the other teen stopped scrubbing and turned to watch her. "My mother always said that whenever you have something on your mind, you should talk…talk to someone," she said with a smile. "So, maybe you should talk to someone if you're feeling down or upset or you just wanted to…maybe let it out…It feels good to…just let out some steam," she finished and Yuki looked at her with amazement.

"Where…is your mother now?" he asked, still amazed. The girl smiled sorrowfully and answered, "She died. She died in a fire, she saved my father and me, but…she's gone now." He was amazed that she could still smile after she lost her mother. He was afraid to ask her about her father, but he did. "W-what about your father?" he asked.

"My father…he remarried after she died, and then it happened so sudden. He died during a rampage against the king." Tohru stopped scrubbing the floors and just stared down at her hands. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up," he said quickly and turned away. He had cringed when she said 'king'.

"What about you, Yuki-san?" she asked, breaking the silence. Yuki looked away at the window and changed the subject. "Come on. We have to hurry. Your stepmother and stepsisters might be here soon," he said icily, changing the subject and avoided her worried glance.

"Alright…" she answered and she got back to scrubbing, glancing at him once a while. _Okay, Yuki-san_, she thought, worried.

Author's Note: I tried my best to make this chapter as long as I can. Is five pages long enough? I'll try to make each chapter longer and longer. Anyways, please review! Or just email me, alright?


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I know what you're all thinking… "Oh my god, she updated!" Was I right? Okay, never mind. Don't answer that unless I'm right. But, hey! I had marching band, but when that was over, I still had the upcoming symphony concert on December 6th. Once that was over, I still had midterms and then, there was the Explorer test where we get to choose our profession (Already!"). Plus, there were the violin lessons and I had to practice 6 days and then the ILA book project…god, now I'm blabbing.

So… hey! Give me a break! (Waves arms and is suddenly handed a Kit Kat Bar) What the…? When I said "break" I didn't mean this! Although… (Opens and eats it.) (Muffled voice) Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

A Cinderella Fairy Tale

Disclaimer: Any relation to any other fanfiction or anime or manga is a total coincidence seeing as I don't own Fruits Basket or Cinderella.

Chapter 5:

"Kyo? Kyo, wake up," a man shook the shoulder of his son. He was wearing a white kimono and had long gray hair tied into a ponytail. His son started to groan and yawn. He was wearing blue pajamas that clashed horribly with his red hair and his usual red and white bracelet.

"Eh? W-What is it, Shishou?" he asked, now rubbing his eyes with a hand in the shape of a fist. "Just wanted to know if you were up for a little sparring…" his master said with a grin. Now, Kyo was wide awake, stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at his master/father with widened eyes, and slowly started to smile. "Yeah!"

(--?--)

He walked over towards the tree and sat down beneath it. He slowly glanced around to see if there was anyone else besides himself and slowly took off his hood. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. A flashback of yesterday came back to him.

(Flashback)

"Alright…" the brunette had said slowly. The other teen only tried to avoid her eye contact and only kept scrubbing the floor in a circular motion. _She's really worried about me, and she doesn't even know who I am?_ He thought as he kept scrubbing. He glanced at her every now and then when he thought she wasn't looking. His eyes softened and he glanced down at his hands—the ones that were holding the rag—and kept scrubbing.

The brunette only smiled when she saw him glancing at her every now and then. At first, she thought that it was her imagination, however, the more often it happened, she realized that he really was looking at her. _Maybe he's worried about me? Oh no! What if I offended him somehow without even realizing it! Maybe that's why he was so cold to me._ She thought worriedly and kept scrubbing. After a while of thinking and scrubbing (and looking at the brunette every now and then in the boy's case), she started to blush from the boy's attention.

"Um…I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier. It wasn't even fair of me. I'm…I'm a bit of a ditz if that's what you call it, so I don't know what I did to offend you…I only want us to be friends again…that's all…" the brunette started to say, she stopped scrubbing and started to wring her hands around and around.

The other—however—was taken completely from surprise. He didn't expect her to say that…maybe yell, but not that. This girl was very unpredictable…if he didn't know her that is…he was sure that her close friends would expect this kind of behavior from the girl. He looked up surprised, stopped scrubbing and stared at her. It was then that he started to notice some things.

He noticed how her chin was almost perfect, curving in an almost perfect angle and that her eye color was a beautiful and captivating turquoise…easily mistaken for blue. If no one took a second look at her, she would easily be mistaken for a servant…then again, she was. If someone had taken a chance to look at her…she might be a princess… He also noticed that the dress that the brunette was in was very ragged and there seemed to be brown stains…of something…like something very old…like it was there for a while.

Yes, Tohru Honda can easily be passed by as some other person you don't know. The plain, and simple, yet beautiful flower in a field filled with other beautiful flowers. If you pass by that flower, and don't try to smell it, you might miss something. You don't know her, you don't know Tohru Honda.

Tohru Honda is a very unique character in this story, yes, very unique. And that is why some people are out to get her.

The brunette was still in a trance, as if someone had hypnotized her because she was wringing her hands around and around and saying 'sorry' all over and over again. The male smiled at her 'attitude' and started to speak.

"It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm…not used to people doing that…asking so many questions…heh…even I don't talk that much. Look, just…could you stop doing that?" he snapped and the brunette looked up, startled and surprised, before meeting eye contact and quickly averting her eyes to the floor where she turned bright red.

The boy, Yuki, was confused. Why did she turn red? Is she sick? He raised a delicate eye brow, watching her shake her head and saying that she was alright, and just kept scrubbing.

(End flashback)

He shrugged off the memory and started to walk towards the village square…making sure that his hood was on. He needed some supplies…

(--?--)

"No! I said it's my turn to lead now!" said a bi-colored teen angrily as he pointed out a finger in anger to another man. The other man had long slivery white hair and was just walking along side a path.

"Ho-hum…it's not your turn yet, little one," he said and kept walking. "Besides…if I let you lead then we would be lost," he continued and made the teen even angrier, but calmed himself down and said, "Aren't we already lost?"

"Don't you even talk!" the sliver white haired male snapped. The teen grunted, gave up and followed the older man. "Where are we even going?" asked the bi-colored teen. "Why…we're going into hiding for a while."

"Yeah, I know that, but where exactly?" asked the annoyed teen. The older male stopped walking and bent down and closed into the teen's face and said, with a finger on his lips, "Now, now, Haru-kun. You must be patient!" The teen's face turned into a scowled, but stopped when he saw the seriousness in the man's face.

Both looked up and listened for a while. There were shouts and gunshots. Ayame's eyes widened, grabbed Haru's wrists and started to run. Neither of them looked back.

(--?--)

Glancing right and left, he made sure that no one was watching him suspiciously like a hawk. After about a half an hour or so, he got comfortable and started to just stroll around the square until something caught his eye.

He stopped in front of a booth and looked down at the items. The booth was selling medallions and crystal earrings. The medallions came in gold, bronze and silver. There were also many designs on which you could decorate it with. He leaned in closer and the man at the booth asked, "Medallions. They're 1000 yen a piece. One time offer. Take it or leave it." The man had a beard and was dressed in a dark red robe—one like Yuki's.

Yuki only kept looking at the medallions and picked one up. "Hm…" he started and walked closer to the earrings, "I'll take this medallion and these earrings." He pointed towards a pair crystal earrings in the shape of tears. "…and maybe this one, too," he picked up a ring earring. "And make that another medallion."

The man only looked at the hooded youth with narrowed eyes and asked, "Are you sure you have enough money, kid?" Yuki looked up, careful enough to not show who he was and nodded. He handed the man his money and the man placed his items in the bag.

"Thank you," Yuki said quietly and walked out of the booth and into a quiet alley with a bench where he could observe what he bought.

First he picked up the first medallion. It was a silver one. Beautifully hand crafted and a bit rusty, the design on it was a simple daisy. _Why did I even buy this?_ He thought to himself as his mouth turned into a grim frown. "…and this…" He picked up the pair of crystal tear earrings. "Why'd I even bother?" He placed both items in his bag and left to go to his temporary home.

(--?--)

"No, not like that…like this," the elder carefully corrected the youth's position and when it was correct, he nodded with a smile. The youth smiled back and bowed. "Thank you sensei!" he said cheerfully and looked up at the elder.

"Ah, it's no problem. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then?" the elder asked with a tilt of his head. The youth nodded almost immediately, brown locks of hair swishing and moving along. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kazuma-sensei!" he started to run to the changing room as he waved.

"Bye!" the teacher said, smiled and waved. Once the youth disappeared, he turned to look behind him. A wall stood there, but he knew who was behind it. "…Kyo? What's wrong? You seem…distracted," the teacher started to say as the youth behind the wall moved slightly.

"Nothing Shishou…" he only answered back somewhat lamely. Kazuma didn't press further…perhaps, maybe another time.

"Kyo…if that is what you wish…" he said and started to walk back into the dojo, leaving his son outside to think for a while.

The boy, Kyo, only frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Damnit…" he whispered as he clenched a fist. He turned around to face the wall. "Damnit!" he yelled as he swung his fist into the wall.

…

…

…

"OW!"

Kazuma only smiled at his son's foolishness.

Chapter start date: September 20th

Chapter end date: December 9th

Chapter post date: December 10th

Chapter re-post date: December 13th

Author's Note: Tried to add some humor there…but as always…I'm hopeless when it comes to humor…

I'm so sorry it took me forever to write and post this story! I had writer's block, but then! I clicked onto this document and then reread some of the parts, I got my inspiration back! (Sort of) For now…actually… (Due to my procrastination and Christmas coming up…) This story will probably be on hold until next year. I'm sorry! It's because I want to try to work on my other stories! I'm so sorry! Xx Please review peoples! I love it when people review!

Review, flame or no update.

Oh yeah! HAPPY EARLY HOLIDAYS, PEOPLES!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: It's a new year and I'm here to bring you the New Year's chapter! Sorry it's kinda late, though! Please read and review!

A Furuba Cinderella

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket nor Cinderella. Happy?

Chapter 6:

Ducking behind the dark forest green bushes, golden eyes peeked out from behind it. A voice called out to him. "Aya-niisan?" asked the voice, sounding utterly exhausted and dying for thirst. "Where are we?" he asked with the same tone.

The owner of the pair of golden eyes neither moved nor waved in acknowledgement of the youth. Instead…he kept his golden orbs staring straight ahead through the thick green bushes and leaves. "Aya-niisan!" the voice asked again, finally the owner coming into view.

Leaves made a _nice_ decorative assortment for the bi-colored youth's hair. He had a frown on and ragged clothing. His black robes were either torn or ripped to shreds. Dirt smeared his face and most of his robes. Yep, worst for wear.

"Did you even hear me!" asked the youth. His tone was rather impatient and finally gave up and walked towards the older man. "What are you looking at that's so interesting as to ignore me?" he asked to himself as he bent his knee down to peek through the thick leaves of the bush.

He couldn't see anything yet, so he moved a couple of branches out of the way and saw what filled him with rage. He turned around and grabbed the older male by his collar and gave him a smack.

"I can't believe you! You're a pervert even when we're trying to escape!" he yelled as he pulled the man up. The man's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth curved into a grin.

"Ah, Haru-kun…you care to join me?" he asked mischievously and oddly enough… Haru didn't even notice the evil glint the last time. Haru dropped the older man to his feet, which wasn't very far seeing as Ayame was very tall, sighed and walked over to the nearest tree to lean on.

Ayame stopped watching his younger cousin and went back to bushes to find that the woman had already gone when Haru had smacked him on the cheek. He sighed pitifully and brought up his right hand to rub his cheek. "Ne…Haru-kun…you could be more gentle," he said, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Aya-niisan…you're…you exhaust me…" he replied instead, still leaning against the tree. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "We should get going…" He got up to a straight position and started to walk in one random direction.

"Uh…Haru-kun?" Ayame started as he reached out a hand to stop his younger cousin. The teen continued to walk, only turning his head. "You're going the wrong way," Ayame finished, putting down his hand and sweat dropping.

Haru cursed and walked back towards where he had thrown a fist at his older cousin. "Which way is it, then?" he asked quickly and as if he was in demand. The tailor only pointed left and stood up.

"You're right…we should get going…" he said and the both of them continue their way.

(--?--)

Locks of messy red hair stood against the blank white walls behind him as a grim frown painted his face. Head bowed and hand out ready for the white cloth to be wrapped around his hand. The youth's eyes were covered with his red hair.

His tongue licked his dry lips and he spoke first. "…Shishou?" he asked, breaking the silence. He didn't make a sign of any movement. He only sat there, waiting for his master to finish wrapping the bandage onto his hand.

"Hm?" the master asked, without looking up. He continued to wrap the bandages as it slid carefully around the injured hand and around and around… When the red-haired youth didn't answer, he stopped and looked up. "Kyo? What is it?" he spoke, voice filled of concern.

"I—" he started as he looked up with a face filled with determination only to cut short. "…Shishou...I…" he frowned again and stopped to sort out his thoughts.

_Should I tell him? **Could** I tell him? I mean…I don't really…**hate** him, do I? _Kyo frowned again and took interest in the patterns and designs on the floor below him. The master's voice woke him from his thoughts.

"You know Kyo…frowning a lot will increase your chances with the wrinkles…" the elder said with a small smile. He chuckled at his own joke and continued to wrap the bandages. He only glanced to see his son's reaction.

Kyo, the youth, only smiled ever so slightly and lowered his head even more to hide the smile. "S-Shishou…" he started to speak again, now laughing between the words. "Ha-ha…Shishou…could you hurry?" His head was now held up high so that the master could see those crimson orbs before closing with laughter. The master smiled softly at his son and cocked his head as if asking "What?".

The youth turned to see what his father was saying and he slowly stopped laughing. "The bandages…my hands are starting to sore from being held up like this for so long…" he finished and grinned as if he was a two-year-old having had just received candy.

"Of course." His father smiled back at him and continued to wrap as the night fell.

(--?--)

Only the sound of clothes being dipped in and pulled out of the wet, soapy water was heard as morning came. A bit after the sun had come up, a female's hum was now heard and the chirps of birds.

The female who was humming was hanging up the laundry by now and only kept humming as she did so. Her mind, completely forgetting the young man who had transformed into a mouse, was completely concentrating on hanging up the laundry.

"Let's see…this dress should go here…" she mumbled notes to herself as she kept doing her chore. "…and this sheet over here…" Once the last sheet was hung up to dry in the sun, she stepped back to look at it. Once she approved of it, her hands became fists and she placed her fists on her hips and smiled. "There!"

A rustle in the bushes behind her caught her attention. Eyes widened and filled with fear, she turned around to face the bush. "W-Who's there?" she asked nervously as she slowly walked towards the bush. She picked up a small tree branch that had gotten loose from a tree and held it above her head, ready to strike.

(--?--)

_Back to the village square again…_he thought to himself as he made his way through the thick bushes and canopies of the woods. He grunted and muttered, "Damn…too much…" He continued to brush off the leaves and branches off of him and finally reached his destination.

Making sure that his hood was on, once again, he walked around the square, looking for the item he had wanted. He finally found the correct booth and walked up to it. He bent down and looked at the items.

Nothing was interesting. Only a small dagger caught his attention. It was beautifully hand crafted (as it said from reading the parchment) and held a single opal jewel in its handle. It was a dirty silver color as if it was an antique. The blade itself looked to be brand new. As if it had never been used before, but the handle would change anyone's, who looked at it, mind.

He slowly reached out a hand and picked up the dagger, fingering the carvings. The carvings on it were dragons. About two or three of them and then there seemed to be a cloud of smoke or something next to it.

Yuki stared at it in awe as he fingered each carving and stared at the jewel.

The man at the booth watched Yuki with an air of curiosity as he tilted his head as if to say, "What are you doing?" and didn't notice the other customers. The man spoke first.

"Oy, young lad," he addressed to Yuki without the knowledge how his name, "yeh wanna buy that? One of me greates' items on sale, yer know…" Yuki finally looked up when the man ended his sentence.

The man had messy and scraggly black bread. He wore small glasses that seem like it didn't fit and a navy blue robe, almost matching Yuki's robe color. "I got it from me gramps. They say he was the best ole man ever…" Yuki continued to watch the older (much!) man as he continue to speak to him as if Yuki was an old friend.

"I loved me gramps… But cha know…they say that, that dagger is magic!" he suddenly said as he looked up at Yuki and pointed at the dagger with one enormous finger. It was then, that Yuki noticed that the man was well…let's say…**larger** than average men.

The huge man suddenly let up a laugh, scaring the many customers that were there, except Yuki. "Look at ole me…yappin' away ter some stranger…" He looked down at his hands which were in his laps, wringing them as if feeling sorry for himself. "So…yeh wanna buy it?" he suddenly asked.

Yuki looked up at the sudden change of direction and nodded. "How much, sir?" he asked politely, looking back down again. His hand went his small stash as he waited for the price.

The man let out another laugh. "Yer good, lad. Know what?" the man picked up the dagger that Yuki had, had in his hand a bit earlier and handed it to him along with a blue ribbon sash and a place where you could keep a dagger. "I like you, lad. Lucky yeh, today, yer get this ole dagger. Free of charge." The man smiled at him as if he were Santa.

Yuki's head went up and looked at the man in the eye. "Thank you, sir…" he muttered and started to walk away slowly, only to turn back and ask the man for his name.

"Me name's Rubeus Hagrid, but jus' call me Hagrid. What's yer name, lad?" he asked with a goofy grin. He was already starting to pack away items.

Yuki hesitated for a moment, thinking that it wasn't wise to tell a stranger his real name if he was wanted. Instead, he thought up of the first name he could remember.

"Tohru." He said slowly, testing his new temporary name. "My name is Tohru."

Chapter Start date: December 10th

Chapter End date: December 13th

Chapter post date: January 1st

Author's Note: Wow…I actually finished this chapter in three days… That's a new record… Wow… Oh and I decided to bring Hagrid in. I thought he'd make a nice character here in this story. But only Hagrid, so….sorry! Oh and I don't own him, either! He rightfully belongs to J.K. Rowling! So don't sue!

So yeah…please review or flame or no update. And no plushy either… (Hugs Yuki-rat form plushy). If you review, you'll receive a plushy! Just name the one you want and I'll give it to you! So please review!


	7. Chapter 7

A Furuba Cinderella 

Disclaimer: I shall have to get my lawyer to ask Takaya-sensei for the ownership of Fruits Basket, but I don't really care about Cinderella (Sorry Cindy!) so I don't own either these two… _yet…_

Chapter 7:

"W-who's there?" Her voice trembled as she inched forward, holding onto the thick branch as if it were her lifeline. She held it carefully and tightly above her head, ready to strike. "Who's there?" she repeated, slipping out her tone of uneasiness without realizing it.

Another rustle and the young woman almost shrieked. "Calm down, Tohru… Everything is going to be fine…" she started to say a mantra as she inched closer and closer. Breathing very hard and deeply, her hand left the branch and she quickly dried it with her apron. She quickly grasped the branch again.

A louder rustle was heard and she couldn't take it any longer. Tears sprang out of her eyes and she yelled, "AH! TAKE THAT" and she swung the thick branch down—very, very, hard.

Her head went up with surprise as she heard a very distinct word.

"OW!"

--

"I can't believe you…" he mumbled as he crossed his arms. "I can't believe you… I let you lead the way for only five minutes. **FIVE** frigging minutes and we end up here! **HERE!**" He yelled, uncrossed his arms and lean forward into the older man's face. He reached out a hand, grabbed his tangled collar and pulled him upright.

"We end up here! In the bushes! And what are we doing here again!" he yelled in a mocking tone as he placed his fingers on his chin and rubbed. "Oh yeah! Because you were being your perverted self!" He shook the older man by the red collar. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" His face, disoriented and blinded by his rage for his older cousin, scared the older cousin.

"_And what **was** the reason we were running away for anyways!_" echoed in the older cousin's head. _"It causes nothing but harm! Why run away when it only makes things worse!"_

"Ne…Haru-kun…" the older cousin started in a comical way. He finally struggled, freed his hand out and waved it in front of the boy. "I'm sorry… I promise to be more…ah… Let's say… I'll try to act more like an adult," he said, covering his golden orbs with his bangs.

The younger cousin looked back in surprise and slowly released him. "Uh… Aya-niisan? Did I turn black again?" he asked, looking around at his surroundings. "'Cause…I don't remember getting here…"

Ayame nodded his head over and over again. "Haru-kun. I think that was the longest time that you've turned black and stayed… Maybe we should have seen Hatori before we left…" He turned his attention back to the bushes and started to pick around the branches.

"What are you doing?" asked the younger man with a raised eyebrow, in his "white" form. He leaned over the older man's shoulder and looked through the branches. What he saw, made a vein twitch. "I can't believe you!" he yelled, waving his arms like mad. He then stood up and stalked off.

Ayame turned his head, only to see that his cousin had stalk off. He raised an eyebrow and looked back in through the branches. Only this time, he didn't see anything. He looked around frantically for the girl, but felt an impact on his head.

A thick branch had fallen right on top of his head and left a goose egg.

"OW!"

--

Her eyes widened as a distinct word was heard. "Eh? W-Who there's!" she shouted this time. She took a few deep breaths and started to raise the branch up again. "If you don't come out after I count to three, I will bring this branch down upon you! VERY HARD!

"ONE!"

A small whimper was heard.

"TWO!"

A rustle in the bushes.

"THREE!"

She took another deep breath and brought down the thick branch again, tears spilling out. "HIIIIIIYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA!"

"OUCH!" another distinct word. She looked up just in time to see a tall, young man with black and white hair, hair messed up, leaves, twigs, and branches everywhere covering his gray cloak; drag out a tall woman. The tall woman seemed to look older but didn't act like it. She had long white, silvery hair and golden snake-like eyes. She was wearing a red cloak.

"Nah…," the woman spoke first, nursing her "goose-egg" on her head. "You didn't have to hit **that** hard… The first time was hard enough…"

Tohru looked at them with a strange look, lowering her branch.

"Huh?"

--

"Mou…" he whispered to himself as he nursed the bump on his head. "That hurt…" He looked over to see what his cousin was doing and found him with his back turned towards him, muttering, "Serves you right…"

"If you don't come out after I count to three, I will bring this branch down upon you! VERY HARD!" he heard a female yell from the other side of the bushes.

"ONE!"

He whimpered slightly while Haru snorted.

"TWO!"

He moved slightly towards the right.

"THREE!"

He waited.

"HIIIIIIYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA!" He felt pressure push against him on his head. He was struck on the head by a thick tree branch.

"OUCH!" Haru gave up, walked over to him and dragged him out.

"Nah…," Ayame spoke first, nursing his "goose-egg" on his head. "You didn't have to hit **that** hard… The first time was hard enough…"

"Huh?"

A beginning of a friendship. How wonderful…

--

"So…Tohru, where we headin'?" a voice asked. It was amazing that you could even hear him to begin with, because his thick, bushy, black beard was covering much of his face.

He walked along side a smaller male, whose hood was over his head and the cloak held the bright turquoise color. He swung his abnormally large arms and cocked his head as he asked.

The shorter male shrugged and replied, "I don't really know… Do you have any place you need to stop by?" He looked up at his friend, careful not to show his face or let his hood slip off.

"No, no. Nowhere really… Jus' wonderin' if I coulda…stop by me old home?" he asked, eyes twinkling and imagining if he could.

"Tohru" nodded and asked, "Where exactly?"

"Oh don' worry. It's jus' ov'r the village there," he said, pointing in a random direction with a confused face, "Or was it… ov'r there?" He moved his large finger over to another direction.

Meeting "Tohru's" worried eyes, he shrugged and said, "Or maybe not…"

--

She nodded and sipped the tea some more. "So… What you're saying…is that… You've been running away…?" she repeated.

Ayame nodded and said, "Well… Actually, we both got in trouble for helping someone escape so we decided to run away…" He was jabbed in his stomach by his cousin. "Ow! Mou… That hurt, Haru…"

But what meant him were a pair of angry gray eyes. Muttering fast and softly, Haru said, "How do you know that she won't tell anyone!"

Ayame only gave him the look that simply, said, "I do know… Trust me…"

Haru gave in.

"So… Aya-chan," the brunette said, "You made dresses and stuff, right?"

Ayame nodded and blushed. "You called me 'Aya-chan'!" he said suddenly.

Tohru looked surprised. "Is it…alright…? If I call you that?" she suddenly asked with wide eyes. "Oh no! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything!" she yelled. "I'm so sorry!"

Ayame chuckled. "It's alright. I don't mind. I was just surprised, that's all…" he explained. He turned to look at Haru. "Haru, we should get going."

Haru nodded and both got up.

"Oh!" Tohru suddenly realized what they were doing, "be safe…alright? And you're welcome to come back anytime." She smiled.

Both Ayame and Haru looked surprised at first, but both nodded. "Tohru-chan. If you ever meet up with my brother, please take care of him. And I'm sure you will see him and recognize him," Ayame added and he left the cottage.

Haru looked at Tohru for a minute before saying, "By the way, Ayame is a guy."

Tohru's face flamed up while Haru left, following the older male.

--

A few minutes of silence was broken when the large man spoke. "Oi… Tohru…?" he started, questioning the young man, "Why do 'ya always wear tha' hood?"

The young man stopped walking. He froze.

"Er… 'ya dun' hafta answer if 'ya dun wanna," the large half-giant added quickly.

"Tohru" shook his head. "No, it's alright. I don't mind. It's just…" he trailed off.

"Well… I won' ask anymore, alright? Eh… 'ya alright?" Hagrid asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Tohru" nodded his head quickly and said, "We're having too many distractions. C'mon…"

Chapter Start Date: December 24th

Chapter Finish Date: February 12th

Chapter Post Date: February 17th

Author's Note: I'm sorry. I just don't seem to have the inspiration to write this. I want to though, but I don't really feel like writing it right. I know it's a weird place to leave off, but I'll make a longer chapter next time. (sighs) If you review, it'll motivate me to write faster, alright?


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